ITV Advertising Costs
ITV Advertising Costs
Key Takeaways:
Scalable Entry Points: ITV advertising is no longer reserved for the "big players." While a peak national spot on ITV1 can exceed £35,000, regional targeting and off-peak slots on channels like ITV2 or ITVBe can start from as little as £1,000 to £3,000, making it accessible for growing businesses.
The Digital Shift (ITVX): For brands with more precise budgets, ITVX offers a programmatic entry point with CPM (Cost Per Thousand) models typically ranging from £30 to £60, allowing for granular demographic targeting similar to social media but within a premium, "big screen" environment.
Strategic TV Media Planning: An integrated agency like One Day streamlines the process by using advanced tools like Planet V and BARB data to negotiate rates, manage regional splits, and ensure your creative resonates across both linear and digital formats, regardless of your total spend.
Navigating ITV advertising costs requires a balance of traditional marketing fundamentals and modern digital precision. From £3,000 daytime slots to million-pound "I'm A Celebrity" takeovers, this guide breaks down how businesses of all sizes can leverage the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster to drive real-world ROI in 2025.
The Reality of ITV Advertising Costs in 2025
For many business owners, "advertising on ITV" conjures images of multi-million-pound budgets and Super Bowl-style spectacles. While it remains the home of the UK's biggest cultural moments—from the World Cup to Love Island—the landscape has shifted. Today, ITV is a hybrid ecosystem where a local startup can sit alongside a global titan.
Understanding the cost is not about finding a single "price tag," but about understanding reach, frequency, and relevance. As an integrated agency, we work with clients ranging from niche e-commerce brands to international corporations. The fundamental question isn't "Can we afford ITV?" but "How can we make ITV work for our specific budget?"
The Core Drivers of Airtime Pricing
ITV operates on a CPT (Cost Per Thousand) model. Essentially, you are paying for every thousand people who view your commercial. The cost of a 30-second spot fluctuates based on several marketing fundamentals:
Time of Day (Dayparts): Daytime slots (9:00 AM – 5:30 PM) are significantly more affordable, often ranging between £3,500 and £5,000 for national coverage. Peak time (the "Gold Mine") carries a premium, with spots frequently hitting £15,000 to £40,000+ depending on the programme.
Seasonality: Demand peaks in Q4 (the lead-up to Christmas) and during major sporting events. Conversely, July and August often offer more "working media" for your money as demand dips.
Audience Profiles: Advertising on ITV2 to reach Gen Z or ITVBe for a female-skewed reality audience is often more cost-effective than the broad, mass-market reach of ITV1.
Regionality: One of the most effective ways to manage costs is through regional buying. By targeting specific ITV regions—such as London, Granada, or Central—businesses can achieve high-impact TV presence for a fraction of the national cost, often starting as low as £2,000 for a regional campaign.
Integrated Planning: Beyond the "Big Spot"
At One Day, we believe in integrated marketing. This means we don't look at a TV ad in isolation. For a smaller brand, a £50,000 budget might be better spent on a regional ITV campaign combined with a heavy ITVX presence.
This digital arm, ITVX, allows for "Addressable TV." Using first-party data, we can serve your ad only to households that match your specific customer profile—for example, "high-income car buyers" or "pet owners." This eliminates "waste" and ensures that every pound of your budget is working toward a specific marketing objective.
Tools for the Modern Marketer
To provide transparency and insight, we utilise several industry-leading tools to plan and buy your media:
Planet V: ITV’s proprietary self-service platform. It allows us to buy addressable advertising on ITVX with the same flexibility as Facebook or Google Ads, but with the premium quality of TV.
BARB Data: The "gold standard" for TV measurement in the UK, helping us track exactly who saw your ad and when, ensuring your media spend is accountable.
Adalyser: We often use attribution tools like this to map TV spot times against website traffic spikes, proving the direct impact of your airtime on your digital performance.
Marketing Fundamentals: Why TV Still Wins
Despite the rise of social media, TV advertising remains the most effective driver of long-term brand health. Marketing science tells us that fame is a powerful commercial lever. When a consumer sees your brand on the same screen as Coronation Street, a level of trust and authority is established that a mobile banner ad simply cannot replicate.
For real marketers, the goal is Mental Availability. You want your brand to be the first thing a customer thinks of when they are ready to buy. ITV’s scale provides the reach to build that availability, while its digital arms provide the "bottom of the funnel" conversion tracking that data-driven businesses crave.
How a Media Agency Like One Day Adds Value
Buying ITV airtime isn't just about clicking "buy" on a slot; it’s about negotiation and strategic orchestration. An integrated agency like ours acts as your partner to:
Negotiate CPTs: We leverage our relationships with sales houses to secure better rates than a brand could achieve going direct.
Creative Alignment: We ensure your TV creative is repurposed for social and digital, maximizing the ROI of your production costs.
Budget Fluidity: We manage the "mix," moving budget between linear and VOD (Video on Demand) based on real-time performance and audience trends.
Whether you are a startup looking for your first regional test or a national retailer planning a festive takeover, ITV offers a scalable ladder of opportunity. The "cost" is simply a variable—the strategy is what determines the profit.
Learn more about ITV Advertising, and VOD Advertising!
